Brussels, 02/12/2008 (Agence Europe) - It will have taken five trialogue meetings for the negotiators of the European Parliament, European Commission and French EU Presidency to reach, on the evening of Monday 1 December, an informal agreement on the proposal for a directive aimed at making it an obligation for car manufacturers to considerably reduce CO2 emissions from the new cars they produce - which the voluntary agreements currently in force have not made possible. Although the political groups of the Parliament and Council confirm the terms of this compromise, the way is now open to a formal agreement at first reading mid-December on a text related to the climate/energy package on which the French Presidency and the Commission hope to reach consensus at the European Council (11 and 12 December). The fact that Germany and Italy have gained satisfaction on this sensitive dossier should facilitate things.
Under the informal agreement, car manufacturers will have to bring down the average emissions level of their fleet of vehicles to 130g/km between 2012 and 2015. The effort to be made by each maker to comply with this target should concern 65% of a maker's fleet of vehicles sold in 2012, 75% in 2013, 80% in 2014 and 100% in 2015 - a gradual approach that was already acquired during the previous trialogue (EUROPE 9790). The last two controversial points - that of the longer term objective but also that of financial penalties to be applied to those contravening the law - were settled by compromise. Negotiators agreed to include a long term objective in the text of 96g/km by 2020 (an addition to the initial Commission proposal) but this will not be binding. It may be reviewed in 2013, during review of the directive that will make it possible to establish ways to reach this objective, taking into account the latest technological breakthroughs and emission measuring methods available.
Penalties for excessive emissions - between €5 and €95 - will be gradually brought in according to an exact method of calculation. Between 2012 and 2018, for 3g beyond the target set out in the legislation, car makers should have to pay the lowest fine, i.e. €5 for the first gram, €15 for the 2nd and €25 for the 3rd (i.e. €45 in total). After an excess of 4 grams, the penalty will be €95 per gram. The total amount of these fines (€140) will be multiplied by the number of new vehicles sold the previous year.
As of 2019, manufacturers in the motor industry will have to pay €95 for every gram over the limit, as suggested by the European Commission.
“Negotiations have been difficult but the agreement is satisfactory as it is based on very broad consensus in Parliament”, Guido Sacconi (PES, Italy), Rapporteur for the environment committee, was pleased to tell the press. He went on to welcome in particular: - the ambitious long term objective, which fills a gap in the initial proposal and will allow the motor industry to come into line with the efforts to be made by other industrial sectors for combating climate change within the ETS directive; - the gradual rise in targets (“a modulated and intelligent solution”) and the exponential progress of penalties “which will be an incentive to invest, a push towards implementing true CO2 emissions reduction”. Compared to the Commission's initial proposal, this compromise is innovative, Mr Sacconi said, as it is not limited to motor technologies but creates a strong incentive for hybrid vehicles (once distribution of biofuels exists) and electric vehicles. The compromise takes into account the balance between protection of the environment and concerns linked to employment and economic activity, said Mr Sacconi. “It has the full support of the PES Group. All political groups should shoulder their responsibilities”, he added, evoking hoped-for endorsement before the plenary vote (15-18 December). “We agreed on ambitious but achievable provisions. Motor vehicle manufacturers will be encouraged to innovate and will benefit from investment planning security”, said the rapporteur from the industry committee, Werner Langen (EPP-ED, Germany) and the chairperson, Angelika Niebler (EPP-ED, Germany). The latter considers that “this compromise is correct but is nothing to write home about”. Neither the Parliament nor the Council touched on the curve (60%) which determines the efforts to be shared between car manufacturers depending on whether they produce large or small vehicles, she said.
The Greens/EFA Group vigorously denounced this compromise that it says it will not support. In addition to the fact that it defers objectives, the text weakens the penalties that ensure conformity, the Greens/EFA say indignantly, seeing the CO2 car emissions rules as “the first casualty of climate package scale-back”. (A.N./transl.jl)